Kern

Session 049

Shadow Dragons GET!

At the end of last session we had just stolen a magical blue box from the Avgard mage’s guild and traded Marek a decoy version of the box in exchange for a scroll which would allow us to better protect Avgard from the approaching dragon siege. The ritual can be empowered with the use of a font located just outside Avgard.

- We leave Avgard at the North-Eastern side of town heading towards the location Marek described to us. Geoffrei hears scraping sounds and tremors to the south, which we decide to follow but we’re unable to find anything as the sound seems to stop when stop to listen for it. Soon after Geoffrei notices a vague silhouette of a lizard folk as an explosion of colors blasts out at him from our surroundings. The skin of the lizard folk appear to meld with the backdrop of the forest similar to a chameleon.

-They pull out bronze daggers dripping with a liquid which sizzles as it drips on the ground. A lizard fold channeller appears and begins to mumble as the ground starts to shift and shake. A second set of rumbling explodes from the ground as another channeller emerges from behind some bushes. Striking at the dagger wielding reptiles cause them to vanish into the surroundings. The last lizard folk burrows away underground and does not reappear.

-Searos signals to the archers stationed at the Avgard battlements as Geoffrei sprints to catch The Doctor’s horse who fled after being wounded in combat. The archers shoot an arrow in our direction with a letter attached to it, the message tells us that they’re continuing the evacuation. We rest for a moment then continue quickly towards the font.

-Doctor leads on through the trees in the dark until we eventually come upon a clearing where some trees had been felled. This appears to match the location that Marek described to us, so we dismount and approach a pile of rocks in the middle of the clearing. We scan the perimeter and set up some sunrods behind some trees as we investigate the pile. They pile has a nauseating feel to it, even with the sunrods set up there is no light penetrating through the rocks. Scord determines the ritual is a modified version of a shadow steed ritual, and that a certain amount of life force would need to be sacrificed in order to complete the ritual.

-The Doctor begins the ritual, with Geoffrei willingly contributing his vitality to the ritual and Salemar praying to Bahamut for assistance, as he does this the right side of Salemar’s face begins to heat up and the darkened scales begin to crispin. Tendrils leak out from the stones as they turn black, they reach out towards Geoffrei but he is able to endure their touch. The sapphire cube releases a mist which diffuses some of the black energy.

-Flapping of wings can be heard from the surroundings as a cloud builds up above the clearing, 5 dragons coalesce and swoop down from the smoke. The rocks of the font fade dramatically as they appear to be depleted. The Doctor senses that the mounts will expire within 24 hours. We rise upon the dragons and take off, fearing the ritual may have drawn the attention of our enemies.